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User blog:DemonaCarrolltucky/Cockroaches
__TOC__ Unless you come from a very cold climate, you’ve most likely experienced cockroaches in your home. In Japanese cockroach is Gokiburi and roach is Goki. They are fast, persistent, skittish, and sometimes they fly. For those of you that don’t want the extra company, here is a list of methods, products, and advice on how to prevent and keep cockroaches away. COCKROACH LIVING CONDITIONS Cockroaches prefer damp and dark places, so they probably won’t settle for places like a living room or bedroom, so there is a better chance of finding them nesting near a sink or the trash, but that doesn’t mean they won’t run around in the dark like they own the place. They are primarily nocturnal, but they still can run around with the lights on. PREVENTION Prevention is the key! If you can keep them from coming into your home, then you really won’t have to even read the rest of this post. There are 4 ways of doing this however; none of them are 100% roach proof soooo keep on reading. :1) Make it hard for them to get inside. :There are all sorts of places for them to get in, so if you minimize those chances, the more comfortable you are going to feel in your own place. This will be discussed, in length, in How They Get In. :2) Keep your place clean. :If you leave food in the sink drain or the trash can, just for one night, it’s enough to invite them in. If you can throw your trash out regularly, great! If not, get rid of the food scraps. If you need to, you can flush them away by cutting them up real small and tossing them in the toilet. If there is nothing for roaches to eat and nowhere for them to hide, you will have fewer chances of them coming into your home or staying. :3) Use barriers sprays. :These sprays poison cockroaches when contact is made with the barrier. When using this method, please take safety precautions. This will be mentioned in Cockroach Spray. :4) Use repellants. :Repellants are a bit different from barriers because they deter roaches from coming into your home by making the conditions unpleasant. This method also keeps the roaches alive as well. There are a number of repellants that can be used; this will be covered in No Chemicals. GETTING RID OF THEM Other than just using some random object to smash every cockroach encountered, there are 4 ways to get rid of cockroaches; Poison, Traps, Spray, Ultrasonic, and Other. Most of these products will need to be bought at a home center, pharmacy, or Don Quijote. Please be sure to Google Translate the instructions on the back of the product for proper use and to see if it is safe for your home, especially if you have children or pets. Poisons Poison - Black Cap.jpg|Black Cap Poison - Boric Acid Ball.jpg|Boric Acid Ball Poison - Combat inside.jpg|Combat (for indoors) Poison - Combat outside.jpg|Combat (for outside) Poison - Combat slim.jpg|Combat (slim) Poison - Earth Boric Acid Ball.jpg|Earth Boric Acid Ball Poison - Goki Fighter.jpg|Goki Fighter Poison - Goki Good Bye.jpg|Goki Goodbye Poison - Gokiburi Cap.jpg|Gokuburi Cap Poison - Gokiburi Wiper.jpg|Gokiburi Wiper This is my preferred method of getting rid of cockroaches. Back home, we call them Cockroach Motels. You can place them throughout the house, all over the place out of site, and it even kills the ones you haven’t seen. They work for over a year, so there is no need to change them frequently. Similar to the motels, you could also just leave cockroach bait around. You can make it yourself with a mixture of Borax (boric acid) and other ingredients or just get the store bought kind. You could even just sprinkle it in the areas where you think roaches skitter around. There are different tutorials and recipes online, so go with what works for you. Borax is not poisonous to people or pets, but it should not be consumed, so keep it out of reach or hidden. Traps Trap - Chibikko Hoihoi.jpg|Chibiko Hoi Hoi Trap - Gokiburi Catcher.jpg|Gokiburi Catcher Trap - Gokiburi Hoi Hoi box.jpg|Gokiburi Hoi Hoi Trap - Gokiburi Hoi Hoi inside.jpg|Trap contents Trap - Gokiburi Hoi Hoi setup.jpg|Gokiburi Hoi Hoi (set up) Trap - Gokiburi Zoro Zoro.jpg|Gokiburi Zoro Zoro This one may be a little gross for some people. It’s pretty much sticky tape in a box. Once some of the little buggers have been caught, just toss it in the trash. This method only captures the roaches and stops them from running around. It may however, trap other critters besides cockroaches. Please make sure pets or children don’t touch the tape, it is really sticky and hard to deal with. Sprays Freeze Spray - Freeze Jet Spray Insecticide.jpg|Freeze Jet Spray Insecticide Freeze Spray - Frozen Jet 2.jpg|Frozen Jet Freeze Spray - Frozen Jet.jpg|Frozen Jet Freeze Spray - Gokiburi Super Freeeze Jet Spray plus disinfectant.jpg|Gokiburi Super Freeze Jet Spray (plus disinfectant) Spary - Earth Jet.jpg|Earth Jet Spary - Goki Jet Pro.jpg|Goki Jet Pro Spray - Bug Bye Bye.jpg|Mushi Bye Bye Spray - Cockroach Away Spray.jpg|Gokiburi Away Spray Spray - Cockroach Foam Jet.jpg|Gokiburi Foam Jet Spray - Cockroach Seconds Kill.jpg|Gokiburi Seconds Kill Spray - Cockroach Stop Moving Spray.jpg|Gokiburi Stop Moving Spray Spray - Goki Pao.JPG|Goki Pao Spray - Liquid Kinchor Jet.jpg|Liqiod Kinchor Jet Spray - Roach Barrier.jpg|Goki Barrier There are about 5 types of spray: poison barrier, poison spray, non-poison spray, freezing spray, and foam. If you want to keep your distance from a cockroach, usually the ones with a straw or long nozzle are meant for distance and more precise spraying. Regardless of the spray used, ventilate the room after use! 1) Poison Barrier: This is more of a preventative measure. You will spray it across doorways, window openings, cracks, or any other area you think they may be running around or coming in from. When a roach crosses this barrier, they poison themselves. Depending on the brand, this can take a few seconds or up to a few minutes. If you have pets or children, it is advised not to use this inside, as they may be exposed to it. There are some brands that you can spray outside your home, so there is little risk of exposure. 2) Poison Spray: This is for only when you see the cockroach right in front of you. It may take a while to kill the little bugger and they might event get away, but they will still die. Some sprays intentionally take longer so that they can meet up with their friends and poison them too. 3) Non-Poison Spray: If you are looking for a pet and child safe spray, there are a few on the market. There are more non-poison/chemical options in Other. 4) Freezing spray: This is also one for when you see the roach right in front of you. It flash-freezes them so that they can’t get away and gives you enough time to dispose of them. This type of spray can be used on other kinds of bugs as well, such as flies, moths, and centipedes. Usually, this type does not include any poisons, so it should be safe around children and pets. Some brands may include disinfectants, poisons, or insecticides so be sure to check for that on the back on the can with Google Translate. 5) Foam Spray: Depending on the type of foam spray, it is either to make it more visible where the spray has made contact, slow the roach down, or to suffocate the roach. Some foams become hard in order to make disposal easier. Ultrasonic 61AoKtzqBkL._SL1500_.jpg 71u+h5GzX7L._SL1500_.jpg If you want to avoid chemicals all together, another method is ultrasonic plugins. They produce high frequency sound that is found irritating by small critters. Normally, you shouldn’t be able to hear the plugin, but if you have good ears, the plugin is getting old, or you got a lower quality one, then you might hear noise coming from the device. Other If you want to avoid harsh chemicals, or you want to ward them away with a more natural solution, here are some alternatives to store bought products. *Bay Leaves: Crush them and sprinkle it in infested areas. *Beer Soaked Bread: Get a jar or bottle with a round/bottle neck, place a piece of beer soaked bread inside, coat the inside of the jar’s rim or the bottle neck with Vaseline, and trap the cockroaches. Then you can dispose of them as you like. *Beer Soaked Rag: The theory is it gets them drunk overnight, so when you catch them in the morning they can’t properly get away and it allows you to dispose of them. *Catnip: Place pouches of it around the house. *Cedar: Similar to garlic, get cedar blocks or chips and put them around the house. *Dish Soap: Similar to vinegar, mix it with water and spray around. *Essential Oils: Tree, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Neem, Cypress, and Peppermint are supposed to repel cockroaches. You can make a spray solution and sprits it around; doors, windows, and other cracks. *Raw Garlic: Leave cloves around the house as if they were roach motels. *Vacuum Cleaner: Suck them up when you see them and plug the end. You can put some boric acid or a poison inside the bag to kill them and then you can throw the bag away when it is full. *Vinegar: Diluted it with some water and spray around. *Coffee Grinds: Fill a large jar about halfway with water, place grinds to the water, and wait for the roaches to drown themselves. Toss the contents into the toilet and repeat. HOW THEY GET IN Bugs can get into an apartment from so many different places; the AC unit, drains, air vents, door mail boxes, cracks around doors and windows, but some spots are a bit more difficult to find. One way to find random places where roaches come in from is to look for a draft. If you can feel a small breeze coming in from outside, chances are, a small bug might be able to get in there. The best time to find an opening is winter because the draft will be cold, but if it is summer, you can go around the room with incense and see if the smoke is blown away. Try checking on a windy day if you can. Below is a list of locations where bugs usually get into your home and quick fixes for those spots. Most items can be found at Daiso, but you can also find them at home centers, pharmacies, and Don Quijote. *AC Unit: If there are gaps around your AC unit’s hose or cables coming into the apartment, you can fill in the gap around the piping with putty. *Drains: Bugs and other critters can crawl in through the drains, so putting screens on the drains works just fine. Keeping your pipes clean can also help prevent other bugs and smells as well. Pour a little vinegar, bleach, or pipe cleaner down the drain, let it sit for 30 minutes, and flush with warm water. Please don’t mix products, it will create toxic gases. *Vents: Inserting mosquito mesh onto vents will prevent them from coming in. The vents usually snap or slide off. Cut the mesh to size, place it in the cover, and put back in place. If you are afraid of it moving, you can use double sided tape to keep it in place. *Mailbox: Mosquito netting can be used for the mailbox as well. You can also attach it with double sided tape. *Door & Window Cracks: For cracks around your windows and doors, use draft tape. Both the rubber and the bristle type will work just fine. *Random Cracks: Depending on the size, you can use draft tape, silicone, or putty. BRANDS I am sure you have no problem finding cockroach products back home, but it is a whole different ball game when you can’t even read the label. Here is a list of products found on the shelves here in Japan. You should be able to get most of these at a home center, pharmacy, and Don Quijote. Poisons *Black Cap ブラックキャップ Burakku kyappu *Boric Acid Ball ホウ酸ダンゴ Hōsan dango *Gokiburi Cap ゴキブリキャップ Gokiburi Kyappu *Gokuburi Wiper ゴキブリワイパア Gokiburi Waipaa *Combat コンバット Konbatto *Earth Gokiburi Boric Acid Ball アースゴキブリホウ酸ダンゴ Āsugokiburihou san dango *Goki Fighter ゴキファイター Goki Faitā *Goki Goodbye ゴキグッバイ Gokigubbai Traps *Chibiko Hoi Hoi ちびっこホイホイ Chibikko hoihoi *Gokiburi Catcher ゴキブリキャッチャー Gokiburi kyatchā *Gokiburi Zoro Zoro ゴキブリゾロゾロ Gokiburizorozoro *Gokuburi Hoi Hoi ゴキブリホイホイ Gokiburi Hoi Hoi Sprays *Gokiburi Foaming Jetゴキブリ泡ジェット Gokiburi awa jetto *Gokiburi Freeze ゴキブリ凍結 Gokiburi Tōketsu *Gokiburi Stop Moving Spray ゴキブリ動かなくなるスプレー Gokiburi ugokanaku naru supurē *Gokiburi seconds killing ゴキブリ秒殺 Gokiburi byōsatsu *Earth Jet アースジェット Āsu jetto *Freeze Jet Spray Insecticide 凍らすジェット冷凍殺虫 Kōra Su Jetto Reitō Satchū *Freeze Jets Spray 凍殺ジェット Kōya Jetto *Goki Barrier ゴキバリア Goki baria *Goki Jet Pro ゴキジェットプロ Goki jetto puro *Goki Pao ゴキパオ Gokipao *Liquid Kinchor Jet 水性キンチョールジェット Suisei kinchōru jetto *Mushi-san Bye Bye ムシさんバイバイ Mushi-san baibai *Roach Away Spray ゴキブリがいなくなるスプレー Gokiburi ga inaku naru supurē *Super Freeze Jet Spray 超凍止ジェット Chō Kō Tome Jetto WORDS TO KNOW *Boric Acid (Borax) Ballsホウ酸団子 Hōsan Dango *Boric Acid ホウ酸 Hōsan *Cockroach Disinfect Spray ゴキブリ駆除 スプレー Gokiburi Kujo Supurē *Cockroach Exterminationゴキブリ駆除 Gokiburi Kujo *Cockroach ゴキブリ Gokiburi *Disinfectant消毒剤 Shōdoku-Zai *Draft Tape 隙間テープ Sukima Tēpu *Essential Oilsエッセンシャルオイル Essensharu Oiru *Foam 泡 Awa *Insecticide殺虫剤 Satchū-Zai *Jet Spray ジェット jetto *Roach ゴキ Goki *Sprayスプレー Supurē *Trap トラップ Torappu *Ultrasonic 超音波 Chō Onpa Category:Blog posts Category:JET Blogs Category:Daily Life